Wednesday, January 10, 2007

I'll do my best to look at last night's demolition of OSU by Florida as a college football fan and not a Michigan fan. As such, my random thoughts...

OVERALL

First of all, I'm still in shock (although not as much as folks in Columbus, I'm sure). Like most of the college football world, I expected a 41-14 game...only in reverse. That didn't mean I didn't think Florida could win, but I thought it would have to be something they pulled out after playing a flawless game.

Well, the Gators played a flawless game and the Buckeyes, in all honesty, didn't show. Taking nothing away from Florida, Ohio State can't be as bad as they looked last night...can they? They looked terrible. Just terrible. On both sides of the ball and from a coaching standpoint. Nothing worked. It was bizarre to watch, especially after Tressel came up with such a masterful game plan against Michigan.

On the flip side, credit must be given to Urban Meyer, as much as it pains me to say it. He had his team well prepared and called a great game. Put it this way, if you only saw the first play then turned off the TV and somebody told you the final score was 41-14, you'd have bet every dollar you had it was OSU on top. I thought the rout was on after Ted Ginn's opening kick return. But Meyer kept his team calm and marched them down the field to answer, basically starting the game over again and negating the Big Mo' OSU had.

Speaking of Tressel, with Florida leading 24-14 with under four minutes to go in the first half, I thought going for it on 4th and short from the Buck 29 was crazy. You've played a terrible first half, get into the locker room and regroup. Especially since, if you don't make it, you're practically giving Florida points...which is exactly what happened. UF got a FG off this and then added 7 more before the half. 34-14. Game over.

TROY SMITH

As good as Troy Smith was against Michigan, he looked equally as bad last night. Sure, he was pressured all game, but he seemed to have blinders on and looked to have the arm strength of my high school's old JV quarterback. Against Michigan, even when forced to pass or rolling out, he threw darts, hitting his receivers in stride.

This was even more stunning to me because Smith is one of the best big game QBs I've seen. Before last night, I'd have put him right up there with Vince Young.

CHRIS LEAK

From being booed at home earlier this year to a brilliant performance on the game's biggest stage. Props to Leak for playing his best when it counted most. Like many, before the game started, I thought the Bucks could count on at least 7 points due to a Leak miscue. Who'd'a thunk it would be Troy Smith giving points away?

TED GINN'S INJURY

While that obviously hurt the Bucks in a big way, it doesn't explain what happened. The destruction of their team was not due to one player's injury. This was a complete team meltdown and, at best, Ginn's presence might have made it 42-21. At best. The Gators were just too good (and/or the Bucks just too bad).

MEMO TO BUCKS: WHITE QB = RUNNING PLAY

Look, I'm not defensive genius, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn once. And it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out when Tebow was in the game, he was running. Usually rather slowly between the tackles. Was OSU that over matched they couldn't stop plays even when they knew they were coming? Please tell me they knew they were coming when they saw this kid in the game.

84 YARDS?!

If you would have told me that Ohio State would get less than 100 yards for THE ENTIRE GAME, I would have said if that happens, I would run naked through the streets of Ann Arbor (and trust me, let's all be thankful that didn't happen).

Eighty-four yards?! Seriously?!?! Wow. That's less yards that Ginn had on the opening kickoff return. Wow!

UF'S D

The flip side of the above is the Gator D looked fantastic. They made Ohio State's offense look, frankly, offensive. Was it the speed? The scheme? Both? Don't know, but it was the shizznitt.

UF O

I admit it: going into the game, I thought Florida's offense was average...at best. Tonight they looked like the NE Patriots...against the Lions...the Woodview Lake High Lions.

ADJUSTMENTS? WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING ADJUSTMENTS!

Call me naive, but I thought OSU would do something after the intermission. You folks slammed Lloyd for not making adjustments against USC? The Bucks had zero points in the 2nd half. And did we mention the 84 yards?

51 DAYS IS TOO LONG

Even Noah was only on the ark for 40. While I'm not giving OSU an excuse, the loooong layoffs between the end of the regular season the major bowl games, I believe, are having a negative effect the quality of play on the field, especially in the first half of games and especially for the Big 10 which ends its season before Thanksgiving. Ohio State hadn't played in 51 days. That's SEVEN weeks off, folks. Seven! The entire season was only 12!

SEC IS GOD

While many will say this "proves" the SEC is just shy of the NFL and the Big 10 sucks donkey ass, to quote Lee Corso, not so fast my friend. Wisconsin beat the SEC runner-up and Penn State took down Tennessee. I think all last night proved was that Florida was much better last night. Period.

TURN OFF THE FUCKING CONFETTI MACHINE

Did you see Chris Meyers attempting to interview Chris Leak on the field after the game? I say attempt because there was more confetti blowing around the field than in Time's Square on VJ Day after World War II. Don't force the excitement, Fox. Christ. Isn't the game big enough? You don't have to try to create a "party" atmosphere with tricks better suited to a cheap rave.

29 comments:

We sucked. We absolutely sucked. Completely agree with you on this one. A Beat Down of Epic Proportions was administered. It was over in the first 10 minutes. The only solace is that according to his history, Urban will soon be leaving Florida and we can only hope he heads to the Browns. Then his wife can keep her lucky Buckeye and Earle can take off his Gator boxers.

Penn Satte played a injured, suspended, 3-4 defensive starters gone for the season before they got into SEC play UT team and got outplayed for the most part, and Arky had to endure a Mustain/Clevelad/etc. mutiny...

Casey Dick is horrible.

Oh yeah, stop cursing and using the Lord's name in vain, you dumb yankee.

It's been happening since the Florida-Tennessee game, and no one's stopped it yet: white QB = running play (90% of THOSE to the left). It's like death, taxes and the 50-year-old colonoscopy - you know it's coming, there's just nothing you can do about it.

Agree on all your game points, with one addition: the Florida secondary was big enough and fast enough to stay with the OSU receivers. All credit is due to Florida's defensive front - they played great. But there's a reason they had time to run down a mobile QB like Smith. Not much was said about that.

Get over yourselves. The Big Ten was 2-1 vs. the SEC this year. On December 3rd, the 2 best teams in the country were OSU and Michigan, and there was no doubt about that. Somehow USC had an effect on that and now here we are. From September 2nd until January 7th, Florida did nothing to prove they were a BETTER TEAM than Michigan.

The bottom line here is that the whole country got to see Ohio State pantsed on national television. I will never be upset about watching that, and for that, Florida, I thank you. I wish we could've done the same thing.

4seam - I'm pretty sure if anyone saw that game last night and said whatever phrase you have a problem with, it wasn't in vain. I assure you.

lsuoverusc - what's the next internet "me-me-me" attention hoax going to be for you? I know, you kidnap Saban. Or, dissolve the NFL so big man can't go pro.

Good game by Florida. After seeing the dismantling of Ohio State and Tressel being out-coached so bad, I'm almost OK with the fact that a couple blocked kicks was the difference between us beating them in the Swamp and losing. Almost.-Jim

Not that I am a coach or anything but I did play for half of my life and the defensive scheme we had was like, "Pressure? We don't need no stinking pressure!"

So you have 51 days to look at film, ,you watch said film and see Leak getting rattled by pressure. So it is obvious that you rush 5 or 6 at times and bump and run there recievers to mess up timing. but apparently n opposite world it appeared to Heacock that if we rush 3 and drop back into soft zone and stand 10 yards off the line of scrimmage, that we will win?!?! I give Florida's defense all of the credit but why on earth you would throw a screen to slow down the pressure escapes me. Also how do we run the ball 8 times in 60 minutes? Oh that one touchdown? A draw play to beat the pressure.

Good job Florida they were the better team and they outcoached us as well!

Not that I am a coach or anything but I did play for half of my life and the defensive scheme we had was like, "Pressure? We don't need no stinking pressure!"

So you have 51 days to look at film, ,you watch said film and see Leak getting rattled by pressure. So it is obvious that you rush 5 or 6 at times and bump and run there recievers to mess up timing. but apparently n opposite world it appeared to Heacock that if we rush 3 and drop back into soft zone and stand 10 yards off the line of scrimmage, that we will win?!?! I give Florida's defense all of the credit but why on earth you would throw a screen to slow down the pressure escapes me. Also how do we run the ball 8 times in 60 minutes? Oh that one touchdown? A draw play to beat the pressure.

Good job Florida they were the better team and they outcoached us as well!

Well Yost looks like it's this mans hell since Florida loss, I'll get to hear about this for a year, do me a favor since I live down here in the South if you see Tressell kick him in the butt for me.

Ok as far as the game goes, were the OSU coaches on crack. I saw them run one drive which is what Big 10 teams with huge offense lines are made to do and they got a touchdown then they went to the I'm going to let Troy Smith throw and they were never able to do that, those big guys backing up with speed rushers coming did not work and Troy acted like he had plenty of time, I think he definitely underestimated the speed of the Florida Defense. And what was OSU smoking on defense they stayed in a zone defense all night and it looked like they were standing still waiting to react meanwhile the 4.3 forty man catching the ball was just wizzing by all night long. Another clue besides the Tebow hint was that when Percy Harvin was going in motion he was probably going to catch a short pass, they did that over and over again, I think they did fake it to him once in the first half other than that they snapped it to Leak in the shotgun he did a quick pass to Harvin. Obviously Tressell and the boys did not watch any Florida game film Chris Leak hates to get hit, blitz his butt and he starts getting very inaccuarate, give him time and he will eat you up. Oh well maybe someone will win the College Baseball championship, they have the basketball and football it's getting rough down here in the south.

Now the SEC trolls are under control and I have had a couple of minutes to collect my thoughts... Here is what I took from last night:

1) The layoff is a BIG deal. That was not the same Ohio State football team we saw during the 2006 football season, and certainly not the steamroller Michigan saw in November.

2) Tressel panicked. Going for a 4th and 1 on your own 29 yard line during the 2nd quarter was just plain stupid. After that -- they never had a chance.

3) The SEC is good, but... the only thing last night proved is the Florida was better than Ohio State. The Big 10 went 2-1 in head to head bowl matchups. LSU ripped a Notre Dame team the same way Michigan ripped them. Congrats to Florida. I can't give then entire conference credit for one team's victory.

4) Ted Ginn. I can only hope that his injury does not prevent him from entering the NFL draft. He is ready. I am ready for him to go.

5) Troy Smith. I can't help but feel that last night was a preview of what some poor NFL team will get if they take him as their QB. Did he even throw the ball 50 yards on the hail-mary attempt at the end of the half ?

6) Tim Tebow. Urban is going to have to teach him more than 2 plays (run straight ahead and roll out and pass in the flat) if they are going to win next year.

7) Playoffs. Wouldn't it be great if we could see Florida play Boise State and the winner play the winner of LSU/USC ?

8) USC. I think that the Trojans would beat LSU and Florida.

9) Buckeye fans. I know I am going to sound bitter, but it gave me great pleasure to see so many shocked and tear stained faces on my television last night. Football is a strange and humbling game. I am glad the buckeyes lost, not because I don't like the players -- I just can't stand the attitude of their fans over the last 12 months. Welcome back to reality.

10) Michigan. Speed beats size at the top of the college football world. Live it and learn it.

Ohio State should have lined up and played old school Woody and Bo Big Ten football. When Ohio State was in the shotgun the defensive line of Florida was able to dig their toes in and rush Troy Smith. Ohio State needed to start under center and run the ball. This also would have kept the defense off the field and allowed them to rest. Ohio State had success when they ran the ball. Antonio Pittman had 10 carries for 62 yards in the game. Their only offensive touchdown came on the drive when they lined up under center and ran right at Florida.

At one point during last night’s game, I leaned over to one of my tosu fan neighbors and said- you guys look like Lloyd Carr put this together- a carbon copy of the schemes from the regular season, no wrinkles, and no adjustments. He looked back at me and sputtered- even Carr eventually changed up his schemes- even if too late.

So, the sun never really did come out today. On the other hand, it’s been a refreshing day here in Columbus in a different sort of way. The populace at large has rediscovered the joy of “bashing the coach”. Cowtown was for decades known as a graveyard for coaching careers. Woody, Earl, and certainly Coop were all scrutinized and had their most minute or minimal flaw dissected on a daily basis. It was great fun and it seemed people enjoyed that as much as winning.

Then Sweater Boy came to town, and somewhere between 2002 and the turn around in 2004, it became taboo to question “the man of integrity”. The last few years around the water cooler have been overwhelmed by a steady stream of praise for his discipline, how calm he stayed on the sidelines, what a great game day coach he was, and how great he was in big games, etc., ad nauseam. Fans here wanted a legendary giant and they made him one. Not that SOME of it wasn’t deserved, but no one is that good. Besides, it became dull.

And god help any heretics (as an infidel, my comments were always dismissed as the word of an unbeliever). However, even amongst tosu fans, any comment suggesting Switzer had made a mistake, a poor call, or an error in judgment could subject you to a scarlet & grey version of an inquisition. “In Tressel We Trust” became the 11th commandment.

Today opened a new (or perhaps “retro”) day of looking at tosu football. The honeymoon is officially over. Not that anyone’s calling for his job, but his mythic prowess is pretty much shot in the head, and dead for the foreseeable future.

Can’t wait to read this week’s letters to the sports editor in the Dispatch. Should be fun.

hold up, the Iowa vs. Texas game was also close. The big 10 proformed bad in bowl games this year but still 2-1 aginst SEC. Its a very tough confrence, but the SEC isnt head and shoulders above every other confrence like most people seem to think.

Andy - the season is over, why do we have to hash out whether SoCal could beat FL or LSU? Sure, it's constructive if only to make an argument for a playoff system, but I get the feeling your situation is akin to Aesop's 'sour grapes'. No offense intended. I dislike the SEC homers's rhetoric just as much as you do, but I dislike the Anti-SEC rhetoric just as much.

We will never find out if FL or LSU can beat SoCal this year on the field. We can speculate using common matchups, schedule comparisons, athletic talent, blah until the Badger fans come home, but what good does it to keep festering about it?

I'm not saying that OSU's team played as good as they did against Texas or Michigan, but I doubt very seriously that Pete Rose met with Tressel and Troy Smith before the game to share his get-rich schemes. At some point, you have to believe that Florida played a huge part in OSU's on-field troubles. Who's to say SoCal also doesn't run into similar troubles. I mean, afterall, you have to believe that Florida is better than UCLA and Oregon State, don't you?

The SEC is good...they went what 6-3 in bowl games...had 9 teams going bowling. But, is the SEC the best conference? Can't say. Is the Big 10 the best? Can't say. It's pretty sujective to say this conference or that one is the best. The SEC is 1-2 against Big 10 this year. But the best SEC team whipped the best Big 10 team. And USC whipped the Big 10 runner-up. I love the SEC and personally I think it is the best...but the Big 10 can flat out play some great football too...and so can the Big 12, the ACC, the Big East...hell even Boise State played a great game.

I guess it boils down to which conference you like...then, to you, that conference will probably be the best.

All I can say is that the National Championship is back home in the SEC baby!

Thought for sure that Yost would have a picture from the GameDay broadcast showing some random tOSU fan with a sickle saying "The Ginn Reaper" on it with a MICHIGAN bear, yes, folks a MICHIGAN bear speared on the end.UM, DUDE, or should I say DUMBASSS....you are in the BCS NC game against the GATORS. WHY the F a Michigan Bear????

one word, OBSESSION(cue the music from that great 80s Band,Animotion....http://www.animotionlive.com/audio.html)

f'ers.and where the hell are the tOSU trolls now?????Big talkers before, but now the posting morons are SILENT and won't man up to the drubbing.....

AAGUUUUUhHHHHas somebody wiser than me said, NEVER pull for the Suckeyes, it's a NO WIN situation.note to self....

Just stop with all the fucking talk about which conference is better. UM and OSU got their asses handed to them. They both played poorly in their games and deserved to lose. But nothing was proven or disproven about which conference is better by the bowl games played. (It was 2-1 Big Ten which is basically a draw). Both conferences are tough conferences. The SEC doesn't own the B10 and vice versa. The Gators looked more impressive in the NC than in any game this season. And don't tell me that they didn't look impressive the rest of the season 'cause the SEC is so tough. They got outgained by Vandy and Vandy wasn't that good as witnessed by UM's game against them. So UF finally put it all together and played a stellar game and deserved to win. But for fuck's sake, can we stop with the SEC/Big10 bullshit.

Gator1377 nobody didn't think UF deserved to be in the game. The feeling was UM was just as deserving and UM/Big10 fans were sick of hearing Meyer whine about how much tougher his schedule was. And just 'cause you handed O$U it's dingleberrry's to eat doesn't mean you played tougher competition all season. It means your team came in better prepared and executed better. There's too much parity in college football talent now . It comes down to preparation/execution and in some games a lucky break or two. Meyer had that team PREPARED and they executed. That's it.

FL doesn't have better talent. In 4-5 years look back at the two rosters and you'll see probably equal amounts of players who went on to NFL. FL came in with a great game plan, executed, and didn't get rattled after the Ted Ginn return. Kudos to UF, but stop all this fucking retarted talk about which conference is better.

Great blog! I was laughing my ass off. I forward this to 50 of my Gator friends.

I am a Gator and although I got my wish of us winning convincingly, I had a lot of respect for the competition. Had we lost, I would have been disappointed but my deep hatred will always remain against the Seminoles. Not because they are our biggest rivals, it's cause they lack any class and always play dirty. Their Defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews would instruct his players to do things like step on the opposing team's QB's hands when the get up and get cheap shots in until you get called for it, stuff like that. Also, I think any player that taunts the other side's fans by doing the opposing sides signature chomp or signal lacks any type of class or sportsmanship. You may find this crap amongst some SEC teams also but its at cesspool levels with FSU. They are like school during the holidays...No Class!

When I was on the US karate Team from 1998 to 2000, no matter how much you disliked the other team, after you beat them in a match, you don’t taunt and make fun of their country in front of the audience. You still paid them respect no matter how much you crushed them. One of my favorite sayings in Martial Arts is "Slay but never humiliate." I was really proud of the fact that although we were at the endzone at the end of the game and could have scored another touchdown, Chris Leak took a knee. Good team year or bad team year, I'm always proud of the Gator players and their sportmanship.

The main point I'm trying to make is that win or lose, both Michigan and Ohio State are classy teams. Also, in both cases, you guys have help us Gators in both of our National Championships to get us to the big dance.

Thanks again for the recognition and respect towards our team after this game.

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